This invention relates to a bathing and cleansing device and particularly to a handheld shower massager device which provides a dispersed spray of water for cleansing and further may be used as a massager when the unit is pressed into contact with the user.
Numerous designs of handheld shower massager units are currently known in the prior art. Some of the prior art units are designed to provide a pulsating water spray for cleansing and bathing. Many of these devices employ internally moving mechanisms which provide a pulsating spray or cause air to be entrained in the water. Other prior art devices are designed primarily as water driven massagers for therapeutic massaging, scrubbing, washing, etc. Water driven massagers typically employ an unbalanced impeller or fluid motor to provide the desired orbital or vibratory motion. Several devices according to the prior art attempt to combine the features of providing a pulsating spray with a massage action.
This invention seeks to provide a number of improvements in structure, performance, and cost as compared with units currently known. The shower massager unit according to this invention includes only a single moving part, thereby making it very simple to manufacture and providing dependability of operation. The unit in accordance with this invention features high efficiency and reliability since there are no mechanical interfaces among various moving components such as gears, cams, fluid motors, etc. Further, enhanced efficiency is provided since the components of the device are designed to discharge water only, unlike some of the systems according to the prior art which require the entraining of air or creation of a water stream which must interact in a certain manner with other components of the device. The device in accordance with this invention further provides an evenly distributed spray of water, thereby providing a superior bathing and cleansing effect. The shower massager in accordance with this invention is easily adaptable between different uses and preferences through employing detachably secured pads to the device, which can be used for scrubbing, shampooing, massaging, etc. In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, variations in the vibration action and intensity, water spray pattern, and impact force are provided through a very simple adjustment which can be made by the user to optimize the mechanism for his or her particular needs.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.